A Latino lawmaker was forced to defend his citizenship after he was publicly questioned by Republican Rep. Mike Lawler during a meeting on the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in New York.
During the Tuesday meeting, José Alvarado, a Democratic member of Westchester County's Board of Legislators, presented a hypothetical scenario to Lawler in which he asked what he should carry "to demonstrate that this immigrant is the vice chairman of this board" if he were approached by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
"Like every other person that is engaged by law enforcement, if you are asked for information, cooperate," Lawler stated in a clip circulating on X.
"I wouldn't expect you as a, I don't know, I assume you're a citizen. Maybe you're not, maybe you are," he added, which led to laughter from other attendees, one of whom called the question "unbelievable."
Here's that Lawler video, from the Westchester County Board of Legislators feed - the Republican Congressman publicly questions Legislator Jose Alvarado's citizenship. You can hear the gasps in the room. Pretty ugly, folks. A very bad time in America. 😞 pic.twitter.com/I1klwBMY6b
— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) February 19, 2025
Lawler defended his question by reiterating he was offering advice about an ICE agent approaching Alvarado.
"That's the point that I'm making. Can you walk around with your birth certificate?" Alvarado clarified.
"I don't. Do you?" Lawler asked.
"I don't, and I am a citizen. Otherwise I wouldn't be duly elected to serve on this board," Alvarado stated.
Later in the call, Lawler reiterated the point he was making was "like everyone else who is a citizen, if you are encountered by law enforcement and they ask you for documentation, you provide it. That's it."
A spokesperson for Lawler defended his remarks in an email to NBC News.
"Congressman Lawler was simply making the point that people in this country, legally and obeying the law, have nothing to fear from ICE," the spokesperson wrote. "The reality is that Democrats can't win this argument on the merits, so all they have left is character assassination and lies. The Democrats' defense of sanctuary city, county, and state policies was roundly rejected in the last election — including by the Hispanic community, who overwhelmingly moved toward Republicans."
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